Bowling shoe



April 13, 1.926. 1,580,475

7 F.'F ARNAN BOWLING SHOE Filed Jan. 2, 1925 INVENTOR.

TM Ll. ALL

A TTORNE Y.

Patented Apr. 13, 1926.

FRANK FABNAN, 0F FORT WAYNE, INDIANA.

V BONVLING gSHOE.

Application filed January g, 1925. Serial No. 64. I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK FARNAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fort lVayne, in the county of Allen and State of Indiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Bowling Shoes, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in shoes and particularly to shoes for bowlers.

The success of a bowler of ten pins depends as much as or more than anything else on the action of his feet in approaching the foul line of a bowling alley. He should be able to slide his feet on the approach or runway as he nearslthe foulline and also be able to fix his feet firmly 0n the'runway at the proper time so as to prevent sliding over the foul line and to enable him to deliver the ball correctly. To deliver the ball upon the alley the bowler swings the arm, carrying the ball forwardly. As he does this he usually presses down on the runway the foot that is in advance as he approaches the foul line, and many bowlers step forwardly with the other foot. If the forward foot is not firmly anchored, that is: if it slips backward or twists sidewise on the floor the bowlers control of the ball as it leaves his hand is interfered with or he may strike the ankle of the forward foot with the ball as he swings it past that foot.

The object of my invention is to provide a durable shoe which will effectively lessen if not eliminate the tendency to slip or turn sliding the foot on the approach and in delivering a bowling ball and also permit a correct amount of sliding of the shoe as the user delivers the ball.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a side elevational'view of the shoe; Fig. 2, a bottom plan view of the same; Fig. 3 a plan view of the'heel; Fig. 4 a cross-section on line 4-4: of Fig. 3 and Fig. 5 a cross-section on line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the illustrative' embodiment of the invention, 1 represents the upper of the shoe of usual or selected form having thereon a leather sole 2. The leather sole is preferably cut away at the toe for a selected distance, the transverse out 3 being on a bevel as shown. A rubber strip or piece 4 is suitably attached in the cut away portion, the rear end of the piece being bevelled to coincide with the bevelled forward edge 3 the heel.

of the sole in order that the rear edge of the strip will be feathered andmake a close joint with the leather without projecting at said edge below the bottom face of the sole. The rubber tip, however,.may be omitted.

The heel 5 is formed of suitable rubber and is suitably secured to the heel portion 6 of the sole 2. The forward end 7 of the heel 5 is bevelled or is tapered upwardly and the lower edge of said end is preferably rounded ofi as shown at 8 to avoid any sharp transverse edge that will offer a sudden resistance to a sliding movement of the shoe on the approach. Two or more longitudinal grooves or channels 9 are formed in the bottom of the heel to form the longitudinal edges 10 in the botom surface of the heel. The edges 10 cause the shoe to slide on the approach in a straight line and thereby prevent turning or twisting of the foot. The rubber surfaces adjacent to the grooves or channels permit the shoe to slide readily and if the user desires any more freedom he may readily widen the channels by par ing off the rubber at each side of the same. By widening the channels less rubber contacts with the approach and the heel will accordingly slide more freely. The heel is thus readily adaptable to the particular requirements of the user. 7

The heel preventsa sudden stoppage of the sliding foot as the user approaches the foul line, hence he will not be thrown over or step over that line, but he has perfect control of his feet at all times. At the same time the heel cushions the foot so that the jar commonly experienced by bowlers as the ball is delivered is largely absorbed in The heel also supports the arch of the foothat I claim is:

1. In a bowling shoe, a rubber heel having longitudinal channels in its tread surface and having its forward end bevelled upwardly and forwardly from the lower edge to the upper edge thereof.

2. A bowling shoe comprising an upper, a leather sole secured to the upper and a rubber heel at the rear end of the sole having longitudinal channels in its tread surface and having its forward end bevelled upwardly and forwardly from upper edge thereof, the lower front edge of the heel being rounded transversely.

3. A heel for bowling shoesformed of rubber and having longitudinal channels in its the lower edge to the (reed surface and having its forward end bevelled uprmrdly from the lower edge to the upper edge thereof and forwardly, the

lower forward edge of the heel being round-v ed transversely.

4. A bowling shoe comprising an upper, a leather sole secured to the upper, a section or rubber embedded in the sol'e'at the for Ward end thereof and a rubber heel at the rear end of the sole having longitudinal channels in its tread surface and having its forward end bevelled upwardly and for Wa-rdly, thelower: front edge 01" the heel being rounded transversely.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 19th day or December, 1924.

FRANK FARNAN. 

